Cake in a Can Birthday Surprise DIY

How to do you turn a can of fruit into a yummy frosted cupcake in a pop-top can surprise? Is it magic?

Nope, just a little craftiness. = )

My niece and nephews all share birthdays in September, and because of the start of school, we are normally never able to celebrate in person. Last year I sent them all a “birthday in a box” filled with everything they would need to have their own mini-party celebration. This year, I decided to actually mail a birthday cake surprise…. in a can!

Have you ever baked a cake in a can? I’ve seen it done on Pinterest before, but I actually wanted to send the whole can, and make it a surprise to open the can with the cake inside.

The trick is to start with a can that has a pop-top already, and to use a safety can opener that doesn’t leave a sharp edge. This is the exact can opener I used, but I know you can find it in different brands as well. It safely and easily removes lids, leaving a smooth edge that is suitable for resealing with a plastic lid, or in this case, attaching back on the can. Canned fruit is a good choice to start with, and I wanted to make sure the cans I used had pop-tops. I used 15 oz cans of peaches and fruit cocktail. I emptied out the fruit and saved it for lunches later, and cleaned and dried out the cans to use for baking. Make sure to use a can that started with food in it, so that you know the metal is safe to bake in.

The other key trick is to remove the lid from the BOTTOM of the can, leaving the pop-top intact. And don’t forget, save the bottom lids!

After the cans were clean and dry, with bottom lids removed, I made sure to coat them with cooking spray.

I mixed up some Funfetti cake mix together and filled the cans about 1/2 full. I baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Then, before popping them out of the can, I let them cool in the cans first. I popped them out, using a knife around the edges if necessary, and then let them cool completely.

Part two of my cake in a can DIY is the crafty part. I cleaned and dried out the cans again before assembling my birthday cake surprises.

I put fun colored sprinkles and sugar cupcake candy decorations on the bottom of the can. Note: I put the cupcake candy decoration upside-down so that it would be at the top of my can when opened.

Then I squirted in chocolate icing on top of the sprinkles at the bottom of the can. I used enough to cover all of the decoration and fill the bottom.

Then I placed the cooled cake back into the can, with the bottom of the cake showing.

Finally, I placed the lid back on and used clear packing tape to secure. Because I was putting food back into the can, I didn’t want to use glue to reattach the lid. The tape was safer.

Now, you can send off a can with a cute birthday label right? I created four different free printable birthday labels that you can download and print here:

Print out the labels, cut them out, and wrap around the finished cake cans. I used pretty washi tape to secure, but clear tape would work too.

Then all the birthday recipient has to do is pop the top and enjoy the cake! Surprise!

I mailed one off to my niece, and told her I wanted to Facetime with her while she opened her surprise. Her facial expression was priceless. She really thought I send her a can of beans!

When she popped the top, she was pleasantly surprised and gobbled the cake right up!

While I was testing out the cupcake-in-a-can surprise, I had my tween and two of her neighbor friends test it out for me first.

I gave them each a can and a fork and the result was a two-thumbs up!

This was a fun birthday surprise to make and to send. And clean-up was easy too. Once they were done with the cake, I simply just needed to recycle the can.

Try out this yummy birthday surprise craft for someone special. So easy to transport and enjoy!

Looking for another fun way to upcycle something ordinary and fill it with a tasty treat? I love these Strawberry Treat Cups from Crafts by Amanda that started as ordinary red plastic cups. So cute and clever!

Happy crafting!

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Pauline Molinari

I'm the crafty maven, and I'm on a mission to spread craftiness. With a fine arts degree, over 15 years experience in children's publishing, and a savvy, stylish, sassy tween daughter, I come armed with perspective and passion to inspire tween girls and their mothers to be crafty together. View all posts by Pauline Molinari →

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I wouldn’t leave batter in the fridge for more than a few days, but you may want to just consider making a small batch of batter, and keep the dry mix in your pantry in a container. I’ve done that before, and that will last much longer.

This is SUCH A GREAT IDEA!!! My niece and nephews live out of town and all of their birthdays are within a month of each other, too. I really can’t wait to try this out and send it to them! Thank you so much for sharing!!

I would like to recommend that one consider not using a pop-top can (especially for children) to avoid the difficulty of pulling open the pop-top, but most importantly to avoid the sharp edges on the lid and inside rim of the can. Little fingers (and adult fingers, too) will be tempted to wipe out all the yummy sprinkles and frosting. Using the safety can opener to open the top would be a safer choice. Just a thought. Such a great idea for that special surprise!

AWESOME idea!! Can you also add a lid on the can, so the cake stays more fresh after baking? And what kind of lid can you use for it? Can you save this for a long time, more days/weeks or do you need to eat it quick after baking?

I actually replaced the exact lid that the can with and taped it back in place to secure and keep the cake fresh. The trick is using a safety can opener that lets you open a can without any sharp edges.

If you plan on making your own icing or fillings, remember that things like butter and cream cheese and fresh fruit can go bad fairly quickly when not refrigerated. I’d be cautious not to give anyone food poisoning. Maybe don’t send those ones abroad; stick to ingredients that can survive non-refrigerated trips on a truck in the middle east (hot climate zones) to send to loved ones stationed there. (The cans are not re-disinfected, re-heated, or re-sealed, so they won’t preserve food the way a can usually does.)
Just being safe. I love the idea, though. It could also work well for packing lunches (i.e. my own!)

AH-MAZING!!! Was looking for cute craft ideas for my Junior’s Troop and came across this! They are working on their Simple Meals badge and will need an idea for a dessert. We are sooo doing this! I love that you can mail them, too. I don’t live near family but would love to send these to my nieces and nephews. Greatest…Aunt…Ever!!

I just discovered this wonderful page the other day and decided to do these for my daughters bday party… I layered the cakes because, frosting!

I decided to prank my girl and her friends though, by leaving the original wrappers on the cans. Unfortunately, I failed at that, as I’ve pranked my girls a bit too often so they didn’t fall for it lol. They knew there must be something nice in the cans, but they were still pleasantly shocked to see the little cakes in there. Thanks for posting this

These are wonderful! You are a very sweet person to share this idea.
I’m sending these in the mail to my siblings.
Love how you attached the print outs. Came in handy!
Thanks sooooo much for sharing your wonderful idea!!!

Hey there Pauline ! Love your little official cake testers. Seems as they love that “job”. This is such a great idea. If I use an electric opener, do you think that would be a problem? Or a good old manual one??? The recipient would be opening from the top. I would be the one that had to use caution with the top, or in this case, bottom.Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again. ~ Holly

Hi Holly,
Just be careful on the edges when using an electric opener. It should be fine as long as you tape it back up carefully, and then the recipient can still open it with the pop top on the other side.
Hope that helps.

Hi. Love the Idea.. but one question. Has anyone made these ahead of time? how long will theses store and best method of storing. I have a birthday party to plan for and wanted to maybe make these about 2 days early.